Parents say

Kids say

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

Positive Messages

Some bad behavior including teenage tantrums. A girl threatens to run away. One girl is revealed to be an anorexic and steers a friend to a Web site celebrating and glamorizing the disease. But there are also examples of parental guidance and attempts to settle errant behavior.

Violence

Some pretty serious bullying in which a girl is beaten up by several girls -- she even has her hair cut in one brawl.

Sex

While the sexual interactions aren't graphic, talk of kissing and "shagging" is prevalent throughout the book.

Language

Some swearing, but most of it is written in a way that readers would need to know the Web language equivalent -- "WTF" for "what the f--k." Other swear words are spelled incorrectly, again according to online and instant message language. Swearing and name-calling are peppered throughout the book, but it isn't excessive.

Consumerism

Mention of some alcohol brands and online social networking sites.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Frequent teen drinking with several incidents in which teens get drunk and do things they later regret.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there is lots of teen drinking, "shagging" references (British term for sex), and in-school bullying incidents, including one that results in a girl having her hair cut by the bullies. There are also issues with anorexia (one girl encourages another to access a pro-anorexia Web site) and parent-child fights. Swearing is mostly in Web language, such as "WTF."

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What's the story?

Sarah has a brand new laptop -- a divorce-guilt gift from her dad -- and a happiness goal. She's given herself a deadline to do the things that she thinks will make her happy including getting skinny, getting a boyfriend, being nicer to her parents and her father's fiance, and writing openly and honestly about her life on her new ULife blog. Sarah runs into plenty of trouble along the way including massive fights with friends, gaining and losing a boyfriend, falling out with her parents, and eating herself out of being skinny. And eventually, Sarah begins to realize that putting it all out there on her blog can create new problems.

Is it any good?

In this look at the online world written with plenty of Web/text/IM slang, teens will identify with the rapid-fire blogging lifestyle that feels as if the world isn't real until you blog about it. The main character, Sarah, is self-absorbed and really angsty a lot of the time, which can get a little old, but she experiences a nice evolution and the end's plot twist will surprise many.

What readers will really like about the book is its conversational blogging style and humor. In the middle of blowing off some steam via her blog, Sarah is prompted by a Web survey to look under her bed and report her findings. The contents are both amusing and so utterly teen girl, it's hilarious: empty chocolate wrappers and old diaries that are full of earlier, younger angst, the likes of which completely embarrass Sarah with the slight irony that in time, her blog will evoke the same feelings.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about protecting personal information when using online social networking sites. What problems did Sarah encounter by revealing personal information online?

Is online communication an adequate substitute for in-person communication? How do you think things would have turned out if Sarah had gone to her friend about her eating disorder instead of posting it online? What issues could have Sarah avoided had talked to her parents more? Do you have things you wish you could talk to your parents about?

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